When the Unclean Touched Holiness

Today I was reading about the woman with the issue of blood, and I was struck again by how powerfully this story reveals the heart of the gospel.

According to the Law of Moses, this woman was considered ceremonially unclean. Leviticus 15:25–27 explains that anyone with a prolonged flow of blood was to be isolated, and anything or anyone she touched would also become unclean. This was not simply a medical condition; it was a social and religious sentence. The law, holy and good as it is, placed her in a kind of living exile—a closed cell of separation, shame, and silence.

For twelve years, this woman lived under that weight.

Yet in the crowd that day, something unthinkable happened. She reached out and touched Jesus.

According to the law, she should have defiled Him. Instead, power went out from Him and healed her. Mark tells us that Jesus felt “power” leave Him (Mark 5:30), and when He speaks to her, He says, “Daughter, your faith has saved you” (Mark 5:34). Some translations use the word healed, others use saved. That overlap is not accidental. In the presence of Jesus, healing and salvation meet.

The contrast could not be sharper. The law identified her condition, named the problem, and set boundaries—but it could not restore her. Christ did what the law could never do: He did not become unclean by her touch; she became whole by His presence.

This moment shattered every social expectation. She refused to let her identity be defined by isolation, fear, or public opinion. Instead, she trusted the Savior for transformation. Her faith was quiet, almost hidden, but it was bold enough to move her forward when everything else told her to stay back.

This story should never be read as an argument against the Law of the Old Testament. The law is pure, inspired, and given by God. Its purpose was never to save, but to reveal—to expose our condition and show us our deep need for a Savior. As Paul later explains, the law leads us to Christ.

In Jesus, we see the perfect revelation of God. He does not discard the law; He fulfills it. And in doing so, He shows us that holiness is not fragile. Grace is stronger than impurity. Life overcomes death.

The woman came expecting healing. She left with restoration, dignity, and peace.

And the gospel still works that way.